Story Choice for Front Page

I cannot get this story out of my mind, and now I have had a chance to read the online comments of local readers ["Polk Fire Dept. Fires 3 Workers," Feb. 14, front page].

I cannot get this story out of my mind, and now I have had a chance to read the online comments of local readers ["Polk Fire Dept. Fires 3 Workers," Feb. 14, front page].

I read the whole story several times looking for just what made it an above-the-fold major headline. I could not find it. I read a seedy story about a few people who made horrible choices and lost their jobs, probably their pensions, probably the respect of family members and notably their reputations.

What I can't get out of my head is why your editing staff wrote this the main headline. Shellie Krauklis admitted in detail what she did, she lost her job. OK, so why did The Ledger journalistically paste a big red "A" on her chest?

I'm not impressed with what she did, but were the details necessary? Was the headline necessary? Were any babies or old people or burning houses put in danger? Did she spend thousands of our tax money on her sex romps?

The people who made comments mostly seemed to have personal agendas about the scandal. How dare they sit in judgment? Can they even imagine what her life is like now? They are paying their dues, and we have no right to torture any of these people more. They're gone, OK?

Being a conservative Christian, I often get exasperated with the leftist bent of this paper, but this was clearly a dip into sleazy-sell-papers-with-sex. I'm ashamed of you. This should have at most been a hidden note on an inside page but, even more, not printed at all.

You know what Jesus said, "Let him who is sinless cast the first stone," so I am getting there are a lot of perfect people around here.

NANCY WILLETT

Lake Alfred

Editor's note: People in positions of public trust, such as teachers, firefighters and police officers, are held to a higher standard. Using that standard, such stories often make it on the front page.